Hot Cities

China has the biggest population and the fastest growing economy in the world. It has an economic policy based on growth - which is why as a country it is now the worst polluter on the planet. But can this be sustained and at what cost? Shanghai, the country’s financial and commercial hub, is right at the heart of China’s economic and consumer revolution. Being on the coast it is also a city very much at the mercy of climate change. “Hot Cities” looks at how Shanghai – a rich city in the world’s quickest growing economy and a driver of climate change – can adapt and survive.

Hot Cities begins in Lagos, one of the toughest and the fastest growing mega cities in the world – and it's already suffering the economic and social upheavals of climate change. The city is a magnet for migrants , many already fleeing climate change and hoping to find a better life. But can Lagos cope as sea levels rise and water and food run short?

Bangladesh is one of the countries most seriously affected by climate change. It is constantly battered by cyclones, coastal surges, overflowing rivers and violent downpours. Climate refugees from across the country are pouring into the capital, Dhaka. How can this intense pressure on the country’s capital be eased?

The impact of climate change on the spread of disease and the affect on world health could be dramatic. In poorer countries the chances of catching a life-threatening disease could certainly increase. In Jakarta, according to the city’s health experts, climate change means the rainy season is lasting longer. And that means disease-carrying mosquitoes continue to thrive in places where previously they could not survive. The disease in this case is dengue – for which there is no cure. Worldwide an estimated 100 million people are infected with dengue every year.

Water supplies and security will be one of the most pressing issues as the world faces the challenge of climate change. If average global temperatures rise by only a few degrees most of the world’s glaciers will all but disappear, leading to floods and severe water shortages for millions of people. “Hot Cities” goes to Lima in Peru, one of the driest cities in the world but a city which relies heavily on the water from three rivers fed by glacial melt. As the city swells in size the demands on the water supply are increasing.